>>1607838Your post made me think that there is a possibility to save on electrification. Generally, trains will consume most of their power when they accelerate.
For a piece of track where
a. the probability of a (unexpected) stop is low
b. traffic is mostly scheduled during the day time
c. tunnels are short at most
using solar trains in combination with lines at the stations seems to be a viable option.
If it gets stuck acceleration will be slow, but could be bridged with a small batery (which OP's image did). Freight trains would offer additional possibilities to install solar panels, especially fluid containers which are exclusively for railway use or could be used to fuel electric trucks on the final leg of delivery. (This will depend somewhat on the details of the freigt transport system).
I see no reason, why light bodied passenger trains and rail buses shouldn't be able to take advantage of solar on some inter city routes. Even if it won't fully recharge, increasing the operational range could reduce their need for charging time set aside. This will depend on the local geography and schedules.
Now hard mode: Build a wind powered train, so we can ride it /comfy/ at night.
